If Owen wants a successful program then I suggest that everyone support whomever they choose to hire, regardless of their feelings on the candidate. Support leads to success, not the other way around.

 

I'm sure this is a dumb question, but I don't know. How many high schools are in Owen Co. and how close is it to schools like Williamstown, Grant, Walton, etc?

 

Under the Lights,

 

You hit the nail on the head. And the support has to come from parents. Not as much fundraising and financial support, because they do that now. But the realization from parents what kind of discipline, dedication, work and time is necessary from their kids in order to see some success. That's what is missing.

There was a post made about the passing league and Owens best athletes were playing summer baseball. I don't think summer baseball is the schools team, so that statement told me something about the dedication issues.

There was a post made about the passing league and Owens best athletes were playing summer baseball. I don't think summer baseball is the schools team, so that statement told me something about the dedication issues.

 

If any kid excels at baseball and is only average in football you can not blame him for playing summer league baseball. The kid is only trying to better himself at a sport he excels in and giving himself the best oppertunity to receive a scholarship at that sport. And maybe during the summer it was not an issue of dedication on the kids part but rather an issue of the coach not being flexible and setting up a workout time which allows for the maximum number of participants.

His first year on Defense at Corner. Coach Blackburn taught him everything.Whoever gets the Head Coaching job would be wise to hire him back as the Defensive Coordinater.

 

From what I have been told this defensive coach, Coach Blackburn, was nothing but a cancer within the coaching staff. If this is the case why would anyone want to hire such a guy?

A successful program needs to be more than kids just showing up to practice and scoring "alittle". If Coach U could only do those two things, then Owen Co. was better off looking for another coach that could take Owen to the next level. Just showing up wont do it.

 

Is it really all the coach's fault for kids not showing for practice? Shouldn't some of the ownership come from the parents? If Owen plans to get to the next level - the attitude starts in the locker and weight rooms and should be nurtured by the parents who support the program... Owen could have Rich Brooks as head coach and the team wouldn't respond without help and support from the community.

From what I have been told this defensive coach, Coach Blackburn, was nothing but a cancer within the coaching staff. If this is the case why would anyone want to hire such a guy?

The players seemed to like him a lot.

If any kid excels at baseball and is only average in football you can not blame him for playing summer league baseball. The kid is only trying to better himself at a sport he excels in and giving himself the best oppertunity to receive a scholarship at that sport. And maybe during the summer it was not an issue of dedication on the kids part but rather an issue of the coach not being flexible and setting up a workout time which allows for the maximum number of participants.

 

How many problems do you think Highlands has with summer baseball? St. X.? Trinity?

 

If I'm not mistaken all three of those schools have produced some pretty good baseball talent. It is a matter of dedication, and obviously the athletes at Owen seem to be dedicated to baseball, not football.

 

You fault the coach for not setting up the workout to accomodate the baseball kids. First, that is a very slippery slope. If we are scheduling practice time around the demands of the kids how long will it be before the inmates are running the asylum?

 

Second, flip it around. How many of the kids sought out alternative times where they could come in and lift/run? I know that many of the very successful programs I mentioned earlier do this. The real answer is that for most, it is just an excuse......the easy way out if you will. And when given an easily accessible easy way out 95% of teenagers will take it........

How many problems do you think Highlands has with summer baseball? St. X.? Trinity?

 

If I'm not mistaken all three of those schools have produced some pretty good baseball talent. It is a matter of dedication, and obviously the athletes at Owen seem to be dedicated to baseball, not football.

 

You fault the coach for not setting up the workout to accomodate the baseball kids. First, that is a very slippery slope. If we are scheduling practice time around the demands of the kids how long will it be before the inmates are running the asylum?

 

Second, flip it around. How many of the kids sought out alternative times where they could come in and lift/run? I know that many of the very successful programs I mentioned earlier do this. The real answer is that for most, it is just an excuse......the easy way out if you will. And when given an easily accessible easy way out 95% of teenagers will take it........

 

I'm not making an excuse for the reason Owen Co. football was down this past year. I do not know if the coach saught out alternative times to workout or if the kids made an effort to do the same. I was only making that statement to throw out an idea of why "dedication" to football was/is not there. My only opinion is that you can not blame a kid for not being completely dedicated to football if another sport is his free or partially free ride to college.

How many problems do you think Highlands has with summer baseball? St. X.? Trinity?

 

If I'm not mistaken all three of those schools have produced some pretty good baseball talent. It is a matter of dedication, and obviously the athletes at Owen seem to be dedicated to baseball, not football.

 

You fault the coach for not setting up the workout to accomodate the baseball kids. First, that is a very slippery slope. If we are scheduling practice time around the demands of the kids how long will it be before the inmates are running the asylum?

 

Second, flip it around. How many of the kids sought out alternative times where they could come in and lift/run? I know that many of the very successful programs I mentioned earlier do this. The real answer is that for most, it is just an excuse......the easy way out if you will. And when given an easily accessible easy way out 95% of teenagers will take it........

How many athletes do St. X, Trinity, and Highlands have compared to Owen Co?

How many athletes do St. X, Trinity, and Highlands have compared to Owen Co?

 

What does that have to do with dedication? Yes, all of those schools have more students than Owen Co. Which is why it is amazing that despite having less of an opportunity to play than the kids at smaller schools, they are more dedicated.

I'm not making an excuse for the reason Owen Co. football was down this past year. I do not know if the coach saught out alternative times to workout or if the kids made an effort to do the same. I was only making that statement to throw out an idea of why "dedication" to football was/is not there. My only opinion is that you can not blame a kid for not being completely dedicated to football if another sport is his free or partially free ride to college.

 

I have no idea either about the coach. I would never blame a kid for wanting to pursue a scholarship. I just don't think it is fair to say that it is the coach's fault that the kids aren't dedicated, when it is the kids(or usually the parents) that are choosing to do something else.

 

It is awful hard for a 13-17 year old kid to respect his coach when parents and community members are constantly (publicly) questioning his decisions and telling kids that he is wrong. First support.........then success.

Comparing Owen to St. X and T isn't the same, but Highlands doesn't have much of a different enrollment. In fact, if the KHSAA went to the top enrolled 16 schools in 6A and the lowest in 1A, Owen and Highlands would probably be in the same district in 3A (see thread on new alignment).

 

There aren't summer league programs like AAU or select baseball in Owen. Is there evern a summer league baseball for high school aged boys? How many of Owen County players participate in that sort of summer program? Then, how many of the 30 or so boys that didn't participate in those programs were in summer workouts?

 

Is this even a question of dedication or support from the community? What has to be taken into account is that Owen is a big land mass with a small, spread out population. Kids live a ways away from school. On top of that, most adults have to commute to work. Therefore, in some cases, there is no one there to take them to workouts during the day. Maybe the issue isn't dedication, perhaps it's logistics?

 

The same situation could be why the numbers increase for upper classmen, because once they get their liscense, they can make the practices, assuming they make their workouts.

 

I'm not sure how much a coach's football knowledge has to do with these kinds of issues.

Anybody hear anything about a schedule or candidates that applied for the position?

I have no idea either about the coach. I would never blame a kid for wanting to pursue a scholarship. I just don't think it is fair to say that it is the coach's fault that the kids aren't dedicated, when it is the kids(or usually the parents) that are choosing to do something else.

 

It is awful hard for a 13-17 year old kid to respect his coach when parents and community members are constantly (publicly) questioning his decisions and telling kids that he is wrong. First support.........then success.

 

I completely agree. First you must have complete support and then true success will follow. However, you must (as a coach) do something to have support. From what I hear and saw in the few games I watched this season the past coach did not do anything to gain the support of others.

Since nobody is posting about interviewing or possible candidates, I can assume that the administration is not worried about it right now. At this rate, they might hire somebody by summer.